Lassie: A New Adventure Cinema Review

4 star feel-good family fun.

Following on from the success of Lassie Comes Home (2020), Lassie: A New Adventure is a 2024 German film, dubbed for English audiences. It is written by Andreas Cordes and directed by Hanno Olderdissen (Rock My Heart, Family Commitments).

It will be in UK cinemas from 3rd May, courtesy of Kaleidoscope Entertainment.

“That’s the 15th dog that’s been stolen around here. But all the other ones have been stolen from a public place. In a supermarket, in a park, in front of the bakery.”

It’s the summer holidays and Flo (Nico Marishka – Defamed) has decided not to accompany his parents to Gran Canaria as he doesn’t want to be separated from his beloved dog, Lassie (Bandit). Instead, he is going to stay with his Aunt Cosima (Katharina Schüttler – Free Fall, The Day Will Come) in the beautiful South Tyrol, driven there by family friend Gerhardt (Justus Von Dohnanyi – Downfall, The Experiment), who will be staying at nearby hotel.

Also at the house are her two new foster children Henry (Pelle Staacken) and Kleo (Anna Lucia Gualano – Exile, All My Loving) as well as her Jack Russell Pippa (Resi), who hits it off with Lassie immediately.

Around the same time, pedigree dogs have begun to go missing from the town. Local policeman Stefano (Beniamino Brogi – Captain America: Civil War) has had no luck in finding any leads (see what they did there?), but when Pippa is taken, Lassie and the kids begin to investigate. This leads them to two employees of the hotel where Gerhardt is staying, Daniella (Maike Jüttendonk – Frieda: Coming Home) and Dustin (Dennis Mojen – Dreamfactory), who are acting very suspiciously.

Can they find out what is happening and save Pippa before it’s too late?

“It’s called dognapping. It happens more often than you would think, especially with pedigrees. Unfortunately we haven’t got a lead on the perpetrators yet.”

Lassie: A New Adventure is a really good film, which the whole family will be able to enjoy. Those of us over a certain age will have fond memories of weekends spent watching everyone’s favourite Rough Collie and this is a great opportunity to introduce your kids to our childhood hero. Cries of “Go get help Lassie!” will once again ring out in our cinemas.

 It has everything you would expect from a Lassie film, intrigue, sunshine, doggy detective work and positive messages about the importance of friendship and teamwork. It also features an excellent score, rousing and exciting that sets the scenes brilliantly. The scenery is breathtaking and used to good effect.

My only issue is that the dubbing is a little disconcerting, but you soon stop noticing it once the film gets going. Fun for all the family and well worth a trip to the cinema.

“We can’t just sit around waiting while Pippa’s with some gangsters. In a kidnapping, the first 48 hours are the most important. Everyone knows that.”

Lassie: A New Adventure is in UK cinemas from 3rd May 2024.